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Danilus Voltek
'Danilus Voltek '(953.M41-111.M42) was a Lord General of the Ashimar Nova Guard and the original commander of the renown Ashimar 43rd Nova Guard Regiment. An inspirational leader of men who always led from the front, Voltek would earn great fame as the "Old Wardog of Ashimar" over his many decades of service. A man of principle and duty, he had little interest in internal Guard politics, which kept him out of Ashimar High Command even after attaining the rank of Lord General and resulted in him being effectively exiled to the Eastern Fringes along with the regiments under his command. It was there that Voltek led his forces with honor and distinction against the Tau Empire and the Death Guard for nearly 20 years, until he met his end in battle against a tendril of Hive Fleet Kraken on the world of Feran in 111.M42. History Danilus Voltek was born in 953.M41 to working-class parents in Centorsa, a coastal city on Ashimar's eastern continent. Throughout his formative years, he aspired to rise above his station and make a difference, and saw joining the Ashimar Nova Guard as the best route to accomplishing this. Voltek applied for and won a scholarship to the Kinodia Military Academy, where he would study and train to become an officer in the Ashimar Nova Guard. It was here that he met Ludara Kresh, future Lady General, and the two become rivals, both in academics and other matters, due to both being prodigies and being from different backgrounds - Kresh was from the aristocracy and Voltek was a commoner. When they graduated in 975.M41, they were at the top of their class, tied for number one. Both were commissioned as Lieutenants, with Voltek going to the Ashimar 42nd and Kresh to the Ashimar 31st. Due to a desire to be close to his men, Voltek always made sure to fight on the front lines alongside those under his command, and proved to be a highly adaptable battlefield leader. He would lose his left eye and left arm over the course of his service as a platoon and company commander in the Ashimar 42nd, replacing both with augmetics. By the time of the 13th Black Crusade, Voltek held the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and was serving as one of the sub-commanders of the Ashimar 42nd, leading its 3rd Brigade. When several new Ashimar Nova Guard regiments were raised following the fall of Cadia, Voltek was promoted to Colonel and given command of the newly-established Ashimar 43rd. Voltek spent 20 years as the commander of the Ashimar 43rd, leading the young regiment in its baptism of fire on the world of Pravda and many other battles as rebellions ran rampant across Segmentum Pacificus in the chaotic years after the formation of the Cicatrix Maledictum. Following the Silura Campaign in 021.M42, Voltek was promoted to General, though he did not leave his beloved Ashimar 43rd behind as it still served under his command as part of Army Group Sigma, which was made up of the Ashimar 43rd through 46th regiments. Forces under Voltek's command oversaw many great Imperial victories over the following decades, and he became widely known throughout the western Imperium. In 074.M42, he was approached by Genetor Dionissia Lazou, a Magos Biologis from the Forge World of Ferunus. The Magos was fascinated by previous attempts at cloning great Imperial heroes like the Afriel Strain program, and sought to create a clone of Voltek utilizing the lessons learned by the failures of previous attempts. Voltek reluctantly agreed, and the Magos would utilize her own DNA to alter the clone to not be completely identical to Voltek, making the clone female in the process, in order to stave off the misfortunes that often plagued clones. The Magos would raise the clone, named Ursula, until she was old enough to safely accompany Voltek. After some years spent at her father's side, Ursula was sent back to Ashimar for training at the Kinodia Military Academy, becoming an officer in the Ashimar 43rd, her father's old regiment, upon her graduation. The fact that she was a clone of Voltek was a closely guarded secret, with only Voltek and Magos Dionissia knowing the truth. Ursula was kept in the dark about her own origins, something that weighed heavily on Voltek's conscience. Following the Mortilus Prime Campaign in 093.M42, where Army Group Sigma rescued the Soul Scythes chapter of the Adeptus Astartes from complete destruction at the hands of the Necrons that awakened upon their homeworld, Voltek returned to Ashimar in triumph, only to find that things had changed. Lord General Izak Prasilion, long-time chief of staff of Ashimar High Command, had retired, and was replaced by his old rival, Lady General Ludara Kresh. Voltek came to blows with Kresh over a variety of issues, most notably Kresh's decision to keep secret from all save the Inquisition the fact that the Slaaneshi warband known as the Ashen Maulers, made up of fallen Ashimar Guardsmen from the Ashimar 30th, was steadily advancing across Segmentums Solar and Pacificus towards Ashimar. Kresh ended up having Voltek and the forces under his command assigned across the galaxy to the Eastern Fringes to combat the attacks of the Tau Empire and the Death Guard on territories such as the Realm of Ultramar. The words were never spoken, and Army Group Sigma was kept regularly supplied with equipment and reinforcements, but Voltek knew Kresh's true motivation for his assignment: keep him as far away from Ashimar as possible, because he was the only one who could rival her in influence. Voltek led his forces in numerous battles in the Eastern Fringes for the next two decades, primarily against the Tau Empire and the Death Guard. Following the Plague Wars, Army Group Sigma was part of the Feran Crusade, a campaign to reclaim the agri-world of Feran from Tau who had occupied it. Upon arriving, it was discovered that the Knights of Laeran had reached Feran first, and corrupted the Tau present to the service of Slaanesh. Voltek was forced to ally with the Six Blades Hunter Cadre, a detachment from the Farsight Enclaves sent to investigate the activities of the Tau on Feran, to combat the Slaaneshi forces. All on the planet were then forced to band together when a tendril of Hive Fleet Kraken arrived in system, and Voltek was killed by a Tyranid Warrior in the ensuing battle. Voltek's body was sent back to Ashimar, where it was laid to rest with full military honors. Col. Ulric Tokar, commander of the Ashimar 43rd, was promoted to General and succeeded him as commander of Army Group Sigma, while Ursula became the new commander of the Ashimar 43rd. Personality Danilus Voltek had an inspiring presence and great charisma, able to quickly gain the attention and respect of those around him. Voltek held those who served under him to high standards, not out of harshness, but a desire to see the men and women under his command be the best and most effective soldiers that they could be. He held little regard for those who showed repeated failure or dangerous incompetence, dealing with them swiftly. While many Imperial commanders hold "victory at all costs" mentalities, Voltek was not one of them. Having fought in many wars of reclamation over his career, Voltek believed that his forces should act as liberators, not conquerors. His sense of justice would often bring him into conflict with other Imperial commanders, and Voltek was careful to make like-minded allies in other branches of Imperial service, such as Lord Commissar Franz Lieber, who served on his staff in several campaigns. Voltek always held a special attachment to the Ashimar 43rd Nova Guard, the regiment he once commanded. He always watched them very closely, and fought to keep them assigned to his army group. Voltek always put the 43rd at the forefront of his campaigns, especially for critical operations that he did not trust any other regiment to carry out. Equipment Voltek commonly carried a boltgun into battle, along with a hot-shot laspistol and a power sword. Like many Ashimar Generals, he wore carapace armor and a greatcoat. Quotes By Danilus Voltek About Danilus Voltek Category:Characters Category:Imperial Characters Category:Imperial Guard Category:Imperial Guard Characters Category:Imperium Category:Ashimar Nova Guard Category:Ashimar